Your infants interact with the world through their senses. They have certain involuntary reflexes that help ensure their survival such as the rooting reflex. This is a way for them to tell us what they want and also form their own understanding of the world. Different things will engage their senses differently. It can be a bright-colored object that catches their eye, or even something oddly shaped that they love to move their hands around. Sensory development is quite important for a baby, which is why we have rounded up some sensory-boosting experiences for your child.
Hearing
Your child’s hearing will start to develop within the womb itself, which is why they will be familiar with your voice when they are born. Do not make loud noises around your baby such as banging a door since it can startle them quite a bit. Background noise can be quite distracting for them at first, but they will actually start imitating cooing sounds after two months. You can read, sing, and talk to them in order to help build their personality. This will aid in promoting bonding, language development, and word patterns. If your child is too disturbed by noises around you can always get them a white-noise machine.
Vision
Your baby will only be able to see 12 inches away at first with a fuzzy vision. They mostly see shades and shapes of objects, not most objects themselves. What you can do is, you can get some baby activity toys that are quite bright and catch their eye. You can also decorate their nursery in bold and bright patterns. You can also keep changing their crib’s position so they can see new angles and perspectives while looking at things in the same room. Always smile in their sight so they learn how to reciprocate.
Touch
One of the best-developed senses at birth is touch. Infants are able to differentiate among different textures, shapes, weights, and even temperatures of most objects immediately. Touch is another important factor for bonding. This is what creates a secure attachment between you and your child. Babies also tend to explore through touch, which is why they touch everything they can see. You should give your child skin-to-skin contact often so that it soothes them. Even putting on lotion after a bath can be relaxing and calming for them to feel.
Smell
Most infants have a great sense of smell from the start. They recognize the scent of most people from the very beginning. They are quite sensitive to the smell of breast milk. You should try to use the same products regularly so that it does not overload your child’s senses. They like some sense of familiarity. Heavy perfumes can also confuse the baby while they are being breastfed. This is a major reason why women have trouble with breastfeeding. These heavy scents mask your pheromones. You should build their sense of smell one step at a time and avoid sensory overload.
It is quite important to pay attention to the sensory development of your child. Use these tricks to help enhance their senses.
